Trouble at work: Boss rummaging through personal belongings.

[jordyh]

Folk, this post is on behalf of a colleague of mine, as well as myself.

Lately, our boss at work has taken on the bad habit of rummaging through our personal belongings.
The man doesn't see it as wrong, and we have obviously failed to clarify that he's not welcome to go rummaging through someone's personal stuff.
We have tried telling him, but whenever he needs a document, his need for that document somehow supercedes our need for personal privacy.

We do not want to confront him any further (he's our direct superior with the power to sack us, thus making us fail our module, delaying our study for half a year), yet we want to stop him being able to access our personal belongings.

Our personal belongings are generally stored in small, easily transportable filing cabinets, and herein lies our problem.
The filing cabinets are not ours, and thus we hold no right to adapt the current security measures to suit our purposes.
To be more exact: we can't do anything to it without the ability be left for it to be undone (so: no drilling on an additional lock which mr. Boss has no key for).

My question to you is this:
Is there a (preferrably simple) way, without damaging the container, that we can secure the contents beyond the simple 5-wafer-lock-that-is-easily-opened-by-the-boss?

Thanks in advance, guys.
You'd really help me out a lot if you could help me crack this one.

Sincerely yours,


Jordy H.

[Mutzy]

pull apart the lock. Re-arrange discs. Use picks instead of keys.

That'll stop him.

[Raccoon]

If you have failed at communication and believe that no further escalation is possible without getting fired (ie, telling HIS boss), then there is nothing you can do to prohibit your boss from rummaging through any-all belongings (business or personal) if in company property.

Store your personal affects in your car. Make frequent trips to your car through-out the day. When asked about this, explain that your filing cabinets have been broken into, so you've taken to storing things in your car to prevent "anything else" from being stolen.

Throw in the "anything else" bit at your own will. This might make him think twice about going through your stuff anymore, if there's a chance he could be blamed for things disappearing.

[jordyh]

If you have failed at communication and believe that no further escalation is possible without getting fired (ie, telling HIS boss), then there is nothing you can do to prohibit your boss from rummaging through any-all belongings (business or personal) if in company property.

Unfortunately, that is the same conclusion that I have made.

Store your personal affects in your car.

I travel by public transport, as I have just come of age and am not able to drive a vehicle yet.

...if there's a chance he could be blamed for things disappearing.

The chances of him getting blamed or sacked for theft are slim.
Aside from the fact that he probably means no harm with his behaviour, he is one third of the leading management team of the (small) organisation. He's too much needed to be opposed by the other two directors.

Thanks though, wouldn't have thought of using a second storage outside the vicinity.

Jordy

[jordyh]

Well, I guess you guys can see the challenge in this.
I really want to give the man a run for his money, yet I am bound not to violate any company-property.
If anyone can think something up, that'd make my day.

[Mutzy]

You could store personal belongings in a second locked container. Inside the filing cabinet.

Is he the type of guy that would fire you at moment's notice? Do you get along at work?

[jordyh]

You could store personal belongings in a second locked container. Inside the filing cabinet.

Thanks.

Is he the type of guy that would fire you at moment's notice? Do you get along at work?

We certainly get along, that's why i'm inclined to rule out the criminal-element of it. I also believe that he is not willing to fire us over it, as we're too popular.
My colleague and I just have grown weary of telling him that our stuff is our stuff, as in our boss's mind, his need apparently just overrules al that.

We're trying to find a way where he'll simply learn not to mess through our stuff, instead of continue seeking a confrontation, as that obviously does not work.
The bloke's just oblivious to the concept of privacy.

[Mutzy]

If you're thinking of shock tactics, leave a condom there. Let him know that its your personal belongings. That'll teach him...

Other then that, I can't think of anything other than direct confrontation or a cash box.

Is personal stuff just Wallet, keys etc?

[jordyh]

To illustrate my prior post:

He will go through my personal mail just to fetch a work-related magazine in which he's got an article that he finds interesting, or relevant to current business.

He has stopped jumping behind my laptop for almost-finished reports the moment that I secured it with a 1-minute-and-i'm-active password-protected screensaver.

Somehow, communication does not work with the bloke, so 'my options are either lie down and let myself be walked over or find a way to restrict his access.

[jordyh]

Is personal stuff just Wallet, keys etc?

Everything from wallets to mail I picked up on the way to work, to whatever happens to be in or on my desk.

[jimb]

I don't know how much personal stuff you have, but how about a briefcase that locks?

[WOT]

You're in Holland, many of us are in the US, so the rules vary.. so i'll talk about the US.

For the most part, the government has the right to monitor your conversation that takes place on company's phone line as the phone is for business use.

http://library.findlaw.com/2003/Jun/9/132805.html

Desks too are provided for conducting business and storage of goods related to it. It's not courteous to do what he does, but I'm not sure if it's actually illegal.

[ponsaloti]

1 Spit and tie a knot in a condom ,put it in the container, or
2 put company container in-side your own container.
m
I must ask,are you sure you didnt sign/agree to certain conditions prior to start of course/training. The reason I ask is because I find it difficult to believe your boss would do what you say he`s doing with-out him having the authority to do so. Were you told containers are not for personal use.

1

[jordyh]

I must ask,are you sure you didnt sign/agree to certain conditions prior to start of course/training. The reason I ask is because I find it difficult to believe your boss would do what you say he`s doing with-out him having the authority to do so. Were you told containers are not for personal use.

Well, I certainly did not sign too much at the start of this internship.
I might even say that i did not sign enough for the position that i'm currently having here.
The only thing of true importance that I had to sign was a confidentiality agreement, and hey, we're a shop, so that figures.

It's just his habit of assuming that there's nothing in there that might be private, he once said that.
And that's a statement that I can understand, however, where are we to put out private things then...
You always have some personal things with you.
Keys, wallet, the occasional papers, etcetera.

However, you guys made me think when you mentioned a seperate locker, like a briefcase or a small chest.
Thanks guys!

[BobbO45]

If you are not the type to carry a briefcase, I would suggest a lock box with a sliding drawer that you can fit under your desk, so that it is not too conspicuous.

I use one and it works great.